Nanyang Technological University's (NTU Singapore) Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine(LKC Medicine) has launched a novel initiative, OPEN Voices, a collaborative network of patients, caregivers with patients, working with researchers and educators who shape medical research and education. As the first of its kind among Singaporean medical schools, this initiative will bring the patient perspective in medical research priorities, the development of research studies, and clinical trials in particular.
OPEN Voices is made up of 40 patient partners of varied backgrounds addressing health conditions like cancer, diabetes, eczema, and dementia. The network also encompasses caregivers and healthy people. It means that the medical research carried out will be directly aligned with real-world patient experiences, and therefore, it becomes more relevant and applicable to address health challenges.
Professor Joseph Sung, Senior Vice President (Health & Life Sciences) at NTU and Dean of LKC Medicine, pointed out that patient involvement is already an old tradition in countries like the UK and Canada but is just relatively new in Asia. The LKC Medicine initiative establishes the precedent for Singapore and Asia; it's an effort to try to shift healthcare research onto patient-centric approaches.
Associate Professor Sanjay Chotirmall, Vice-Dean of Research at LKC Medicine, said: "Traditional healthcare research can sometimes miss important insights from patients. Engaging patient partners is helpful to ensure findings do inform real-life patient experiences, but improves the impact of medical studies.".
LKC Medicine's Office of Patient Engagement (OPEN) will lead the impetus of involving patients in all research and education projects undertaken. The office will also train patient partners in research ethics and communication to enable them to be equal co-authors, co-presenters, and co-educators in various academic and clinical contexts.
This change from passivity to activism in medical education encompasses projects that include cancer screening, AI in medicine, and population health. As an illustration, in a cancer screening research study, patient partners will be involved in the research design and review of research instruments and will provide input from the perspective of a patient. Ellil Mathiyan, a double cancer survivor and OPEN Voices participant, is collaborating as a co-author on a cancer screening research grant, which underscores the importance of incorporating patient insights into research design.
In addition, patient partners will be showcased in the EXCEL Research Seminar Series-forum, providing the patient perspective in discussions with international experts. They will also contribute to LKC Medicine's MBBS program, with modules such as the Long-Term Patient Project where students interact with patients or caregivers for an extended period. Efforts have thus been taken to ensure that these future doctors are equipped to understand and address their chronic conditions.
Through OPEN Voices, LKC Medicine is leading a new paradigm in patient-centered medical research and education advancing toward more empathetic, effective, and patient-aware healthcare professionals.
